Christmas at Dollywood is truly a special time. The cooler climate and the early sunset lend to a special ambiance to walking around a theme park, especially one that is so well decorated! They cover every building and tree in colorful lights–all the way out to the very tips of the branches. They say it’s four million lights, and that might be an understatement. Just walking around the park at night is super fun.
Dollywood also presents, as usual, some spectacular entertainment options for this time of year. Let’s look through all of them in turn.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas is my favorite Christmas show in the park. Showcasing a revolving set, a down-to-earth set of actors, and an original storyline–this tells the story of a family trying to make it home for Christmas and the “mysterious white-bearded stranger” (AKA St. Nick) that helps their Christmas dreams come true. There are also some anachronistic mice doing an Abbot & Costello act, but even they are fun, even if I’m not sure how they fit into the story. I’m going to assume it’s for the kiddos.
This being Dollywood, everyone sings, even the mice, and it’s all very nicely done. You can find this one in the Pines Theater in Jukebox Junction.
Smoky Mountain String Band/Appalachian Christmas
When I was there in 2016, the park’s resident Smoky Mountain String Band did a perfect Christmas set on the Back Porch Theater. Combining humor and excellent musicianship, it was one of my favorite, laugh-out-loud performances in the park.
Now they have replaced the String Band this year with an “Appalachian Christmas” act in a similar vein. I’m sure it will be excellent, as I am never disappointed by an act on this particular stage.
It’s a Wonderful Life
On one of the biggest stages in the park, you can find a musical version of the popular movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s a lot of fun–if a confusing–mish-mash of song and dance. I found I liked the actors pretty well, even if the lead playing George Baily sounded a little too much like he was doing a middling Jimmy Steward impression for most of the show.
The confusion comes with the music. Some of it seems written for the show, but you’ve also got songs by Stephen Curtis Chapman and Bette Midler in there, as well as the song “Money” from the Broadway show Cabaret. At first, I thought maybe Dolly Parton really had written all those songs, but then I feel sure she didn’t write “Money.” So while the full cast sings Midler’s “From a Distance” as the emotional closer, I’m left scratching my head as to how that fits in a show set in 1946.
I still highly recommend it for the production value alone. You can find It’s a Wonderful Life in the Showstreet Palace Theater, straight ahead as you enter the park.
Christmas in the Smokies
Christmas in the Smokies seems to be the reigning headliner Christmas show of the park, having run for several years. And it’s good! Excellent songs accompanied by a pit orchestra run back-to-back with a non-obtrusive (read: thin) plot structure holding it together. This is the no-holds-barred “Jesus and the USA” that folks come to Dollywood for, and it is fun. The singing, in particular, is fantastic.
One thing to note about Dollywood’s Christmas productions is that each staged show will contain at least one super-precocious child actor, usually a little girl with blond ringlets. One can almost feel the presence of an over-involved stage parent in the wings, just off stage, mouthing all the lines along with their child. This probably isn’t true, but if it were, I wouldn’t be surprised.
This show, in particular, has the highest quotient of overachieving moppets in any one production. And overall, I find it corny and pandering and not really my thing. But it’s a big production that they are awfully proud of and you should definitely check it out.
Christmas in the Smokies can be found in the Celebrity Theater, up the hill from Showstreet.
O’ Holy Night
This is hands-down the worst show in the park, God bless it. I have found that whatever is showing on the Valley Stage is probably going to be somewhat of a stinker, and this one is no exception.
The small stage is split in two, as is the narrative, between a modern home on the left with a little girl trying to find the Christmas angel, and the typical biblical nativity story on the right. In the end, the little girl in the modern half shows up AS the Christmas angel in the nativity half, and there you are. Resolution.
The most entertainment I received from this show is the unintended pleasure of hearing God’s voice overhead with a thick Tennessee accent.
The Kingdom Heirs and more
Check out The Kingdom Heirs southern gospel group in the Pines Theater, if that’s your thing. They have a special holiday show chock to the brim with hymns and inspirational feelings.
Also, consider the two rare character greetings in the park. Meet Rudolf and his friends in the Holly Jolly Junction, which I *think* is in Craftsman’s Valley. You can also find Santa Claus and his elves down in the back of Country Fair.
Newer to the lineup is the MistleTones, a four-woman a cappella group found in the Showstreet Gazebo. I expect they are pretty good; I’d like to check them out.
Also unique to the park is a Christmas service in the Robert F. Thomas Chapel at 5:30 pm on Sundays.
Parade of Many Colors
New the year I saw it, the Parade of Many Colors is a nighttime bulb-lit parade with floats and walking characters. It is a fun experience if a bit on the dinky side. Sections of the parade represent faith, fun, and harmony with lots of butterflies, music notes, and Christmas motifs.
No lie, it’s small. Conditioned by years of Disney mega-parades, I lined up entirely too early. And once it started, it was over with in under 10 minutes. Which was great, it gave me time to walk the entire park taking more pictures and getting some walk-on nighttime rides on roller coasters.
That being said, I didn’t take a huge number of pictures, and I didn’t have my proper camera with me, not really being a ready-for-primetime blogger yet. Below are the pictures I have, plus a few short videos at the bottom. Enjoy!
That’s so neat! Have you ever been to Dollywood for New years eve?
I haven’t–I’m usually in bed on NYE… I don’t think it’s super different from the regular Christmas activities. What I’d LOVE to do is to be in Disney World for New Years–they have HUGE fireworks.
Cool 🙂 Some Disney going friends of ours always try to avoid the fire works. (they’re sound sensitive)
Oh my goodness–they are my favorite part! But I understand that. Dollywood hardly has any. In fact, if you aren’t in just the right place, you could be in the park and not see them at all. I wish I could take all of you!